How I Died
by Dr. Bessy
Summary: Everything changed when the accident happened ten years before. For years, Max has had to raise her little brother, Ari, up from infantry under the roof of an abusive father who beat her and Ari every night. She survives only because somebody has to take care of Ari. But when a stranger who can take care of Ari comes along, will Max live her life or end it for without purpose?
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Notes:**_

_**Hey peeps! This is my very first story and I really don't want all of y'all to hate it, so instead of hating it, ENJOY AND REVIEW(basically tell me what I did wrong-and I most likely did A LOT of things wrong-and what you liked and what you think I should keep doing!) So yeah, I'm gonna end this with enjoy. ENJOY!**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any of the characters involved in this except for the occasional I might create later on.**

"Max! Max! Oh, please wake up, don't leave me! I need you Max!" My seven-year-old brother, Ari, shouts to me as I lay on the ground motionless. "Please, Max, get up! This isn't funny!" Ari begins to shake me repeatedly, trying to wake me from my "slumber".

The police and paramedics soon arrive and whisk me to a hospital. There is a policewoman trying in vain to comfort Ari as the paramedics load me into the truck while simultaneously they work frantically to keep my heart beating.

I watch this all in a confused daze from above everybody. I see my body lying in a stretcher. I see Ari clinging onto the police woman for dear life. I see my best friends, Iggy and Nudge, huddling together and crying. Worst of all, I see my new-found love, Fang, clinging desperately to my hand, shouting for me to get up and to live when he knows that I obviously can't. Tears are stinging in his eyes and his voice cracks every time he yells at me to get up, trying to convince my lifeless body that I have to live, that I have to keep on going.

But I can't. I have tried for so long to keep on moving, to keep on pushing life back when life pushes me. But now, I just can't.

The paramedics have attached a heart monitor up to me and as I expect it to happen, the monitor goes into a steady flat line. The last thing I see is Fang cupping my face into his hands with his tears flowing down my face. My world goes black.

My name was Maximum Ride, and this is the story of how I died.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Notes:**_

_**Hello, Earthlings. Take me to your leader. I'm sorry, I just feel like saying that cuz I'm in an alien mood and I'm about to watch my favorite show, Doctor Who. So here is my next chapter where you guys will learn a little about what happened to Max after that cliffhanger from yours truly. Thank you guys so much for the reviews and I hope you like this next chapter. ENJOY!**_

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own Maximum Ride or any of the characters in this book. If I did I would be a millionaire and have a life, but since I do not have either of those it's proof of me not owning anything besides the story plot line and this computer.**

I wasn't always gloom-and-doom. I used to have friends, a wonderful family, and an amazing life. But that all changed after the accident, leaving me with my abusive father-Jeb-a little brother in need of taking care of-Ari-and me, being the loner I am-was-with no friends and no life.

The accident happened ten years ago in the middle of winter. My mom, Valencia Ride, was driving me home from a choir concert and we were arguing. Times were tough, with my mom and me always fighting over the littlest of things, whether it is what flavor of ice cream is better than the other or the many reasons on why or why not I should ship Ari to Alaska in a postal box. It was petty, I know, but I was only eight, you can't expect me to be thinking about saving the world, now can you?

Anyway, we were arguing on whether I did a good job at my solo. I personally thought that I did great while my mom thought that I messed up on my high note. She was so focused on me that she didn't notice the swerving truck rumbling down the road. The truck slid on a patch of ice and capsized, colliding into our car. We had been driving next to a hill and under the hill was a crowded forest. The truck pushed our car down the hill and into the forest. The farther we tumbled down, the denser the trees were. We eventually stopped rolling and at that point we were upside down. My mom hung off of her seat belt limply and I was barely semiconscious.

I slid through my seat belt and landed on the inner roof of the car. I tried to unbuckle my mom's seat belt but it was jammed. My parents were VERY protective people so my mom kept a licensed pistol in her purse at all times while my dad kept his in a safe in their room. They thought that I didn't know about it, but, being the sneak I was, I eventually found out.

I took the gun in my hand and was about to fire off her seat belt when a police officer grabbed me by my waist and hoisted me out of the broken passenger side window. I dropped the gun and focused on screaming and kicking out of the officer's hands. By that point the car had started to catch fire because the gas tanks exploded on impact.

I was dragged up the hill and when we got to the top, the whole forest was on fire. I stared out at the fire blankly as the officer tried to console me of how sorry she was for my loss. Even back then I knew that her sorry act was a load of bullshit.

For months after the accident I was in a daze. I didn't talk to my dad or any of my friends. At first my "friends" gave me time to cope with my mom's death, but later they turned into a bunch of jerks and left me for a bunch of popular douche bags.

Jeb resorted to booze after Mom died. The more he drank, the angrier he got at Ari and me until one day he snapped and slapped me. Even though I knew that eventually he would start hitting me, it still came as a shock. He got worse and worse and started to hit Ari, and I would try to take as much hits from Jeb as possible.

School wasn't any better. The place was overrun by a bunch of morons in pink skirts that showed off a little bit too much and mindless jocks who would do anything for a bit of skin. But that's high school for you. I was just counting the seconds until I could leave my little town in Nowheresville, USA. At least that was until Fang and his whack-job of a family showed up into my life.

_**So what do you guys think about this chapter? I might make another chapter later today, depends on what how busy I'm gonna be. So I hoped you guys liked it and PLZ REVIEW. And remember, all of my fellow Fanfictioners, watch the skies.**_

_**Dr. Bessy**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey guys! I'm bored, my life is dull, and so what did I do about it? I MADE A NEW CHAPPY! FOR YOU GUYS! I really hope that you guys like it and I wanna thank you guys for the reviews and for the views. Just a reminder, plz follow this story, review, and be awesome! And it would REALLY help if someone answered some of my questions about junk. For now on, I might just ask a random question from my insane brain and I would love if u guys would answer it as weird as possible! Question 1: Why do country singers' voices always crack?**_

_**Question 2: What is a beta reader?**_

_**Question 3: Why am I asking these questions?"**_

_**So I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please, please, PLEASE review and follow! ENJOY!**_

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Maximum Ride or any of the characters in this story. I do not own a house, a car, or a life. I do own this plot line and this computer, though. So I guess it's a win win!**

**1 Year before My Death**

"Maximum Ride, get your ass down here, NOW!" Jeb's words were slurred so badly that you could hardly tell them apart. Ari and I could hear Jeb lumber up the steps from the closet we were hiding in. When Jeb was sober he was harmless, when he was drunk he was reckless, but it was when he was mad AND drunk that's when the real danger happened. Right now, he was just drunk, but I knew that it wouldn't last.

Jeb slipped on one of the stairs and fell all the way back down on his ass to the bottom. He let out a bellow and charged up the stairs screaming, "MAX!"

Meanwhile, Ari and I scrunched up deeper into the closet and held our breath. Jeb looked around wildly, trying to get a clue of where we were. The closet where we were hiding had been my mom's Junk Closet where she would stash her useless junk that she was too lazy to throw away. We hadn't used it since she died so it was pretty dusty. Whenever Ari and I hid from Jeb in here, we would have to cover our noses so that we wouldn't inhale the dust and sneeze.

Ari coughed silently into his arm and right when he took his sleeve away from his nose, he inhaled the dust. His sneeze was a cute baby sneeze but it still echoed in the dead silence of the closet and hallway. Jeb must have heard it because his footsteps stopped. The floorboards creaked in our direction, indicating that Jeb was turning towards the closet. Jeb began to slowly walk towards the closet door, the floor creaking loudly in the calm before the storm. His footsteps stopped right in front of the closet door. There was a moment that everything was still, but that moment quickly passed.

Jeb yanked the closet door open, revealing our hidden figures. I tackled Jeb as a distraction while Ari ran into our room and locked the door. My tackle had taken Jeb by surprise, but he quickly recovered. He grabbed my hair and pulled me to the top of the staircase, then pushed me down the stairs. I landed on my back, gasping for breath, as Jeb towered over me. He again grabbed my hair as if it were a leash and dragged me to the kitchen where the fridge was open.

"Do you know why I called you?" he slurred as he struggled for balanced. Afraid that my voice might fail me, I just shook my head. "Look at the fridge," he demanded. When I didn't comply right away with his command he yanked my hair back painfully so that I would look at the fridge. "What do you see?" Before I could shrug my shoulders, he said, "You know what I see? NO BEER!" He screamed as he slammed my head into the counter top by the refrigerator. I saw nothing but stars in the shape of Jeb's corrupt face. I was sprawled out onto the floor and as I was starting to regain my bearings, Jeb began to viciously kick me in the stomach. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't see. The only thing I COULD do was feel the pain in massive waves rolling all over my body, increasing with every kick.

By the time Jeb was done with his beating, I was curled up in the fetal position with a few broken ribs, a split lip, blood coming out of my ears, and I was pretty sure my foot was at the LEAST sprained. Jeb spit on me and as he climbed up the stairs he yelled, "I'm gonna catch some shut eye. If I don't see you in the morning, make sure you get some more beer when you come home. If you don't, there will be some consequences, young lady. Nighty, nighty."

I stayed on the floor for who knows how long, until Ari crept down the stairs quietly with a First Aid Kit. Once he says me, he rushed down and led me up to our room. There, he wrapped my ribs, made a splint for my ankle, and wrapped my head.

"Ari?" I whispered while he fixed me up.

"Hmm?" He asked as he worked.

"How would you like it if when I turn eighteen in a year, you and me hit the road?" He stopped then and looked at me with big eyes.

"Can we do it?" He asked quietly, pleading with his eyes that it be so. I nod my head and he gave me the first real smile in a long while. He jumped into my arms, making me wince, but I didn't really mind.

"We do it the night of my eighteenth birthday, OK?" Even when he didn't respond, I knew that he was happy. We stopped hugging and lied in my bed, dreaming about what we would do once we were free from this hell hole. If only we knew what would happen on that night….

_**So, yeah that's my chappy for you guys! I really hope that you enjoyed it and PLEASE, FOR PETE'S SAKE REVIEW AND FOLLOW! But even if you don't, I'll still like you guys for reading my story. And remember, my fellow Fanfictioners, watch the skies.**_

_**Doctor Bessy**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey, y'all! Thanks for the views and such! Although I would REALLY appreciate some more comments, I am still pretty happy about all the views! I already have the last chapter written down that will reveal what the heck happened to Max. So the more reviews that I get-even if they're pointless-the faster I will get to the end of this story. So, yeah, besides that, I hope you guys really enjoy this chappy and PLEASE REVIEW AND FOLLOW!**_

**Disclaimer:**

**I don't own MR, I don't own any of the characters, and I don't own a life or any friends. PSYCH! I have friends, but you don't! I kid, I kid. Sort of. Oh well! ENJOY!**

**11 months and 29 days Before Death**

"Ari, it's safe to go now," I whisper behind me to where he is standing and he rushes over to my side. Like mice, we scurry across the living room and escape the dark clutches that used to be our home but now were a hell hole. Once the door is shut, we race down the ten blocks between my house and school. Ari beats me to the doors because of my sprained ankle and holds the doors for me like a little gentleman. As I pass, he gives me a mock bow and I reply with a curtsy. Eastdale High School-my school-and Eastdale Middle School-Ari's school-were connected and they were right down the street from Eastdale Auto Shop, Eastdale Tech, Eastdale Burger Hut, and Eastdale Marketplace. As you can guess, we live in Eastdale.

Anyway, I watched as Ari's small figure retreated to the door that separated our schools. Once I couldn't see him anymore, I limped through the halls to my locker and slumped against it.

"Fat."

"Ugly."

"Stupid."

"Disappointment."

"Curse."

The words that Jeb usually spit at me whenever he beats me kept on echoing in my head. They formed a wall made of steel that was a barrier between me and peace of mind. The longer I sat there, the louder the words became until they were a lurid chant, each scream of each word adding to my growing headache. I clamped my hands down on my ears in a vain attempt to block the voices out. But how can you block out voices when they are in your head? I screwed my eyes tight and prayed that the voices would stop soon.

"Max. Max. MAX!" My eyes snapped open to see Iggy shaking my shoulders madly.

Remember how I said that I had no friends? Well, I lied. My ONLY friend (emphasis on ONLY) was Iggy. He and I have been best friends since before the accident, and when I was losing all my other friends, he stuck by my side. We told each other everything and we went through everything with each other. Iggy was basically my big brother, the only one that I could go to for comfort.

"Max, what the hell was that? Are you okay?" Iggy's look of concern almost made me spill my guts about the whole being abused thing. And you know how I just said that we told each other everything? Well, I lied again. You should know by now that I lie A LOT about things. But what can you expect from a girl who gets beaten every night?

Anyway, AGAIN, I feared telling Iggy about how Jeb beat me not because I thought he would go to the police, but because I was afraid that he would try to beat the shit out of Jeb, and THEN go to the police. And if he went to the police that would mean me and Ari would be put in foster care. And that would mean that Ari would get adopted for sure because of his absolute ADORABSNESS-and yes in my vocabulary, adorabsness is a word, so don't you judge-while I would be stuck going from foster home to foster home, meaning that I would never get to see Ari again, and a life without Ari is not a life worth living.

So as Iggy looked at me with big eyes full of concern, I had to bite my tongue and say, "Nothing."

A fresh wave of guilt washed over me for lying to my best and only friend and it must have been evident on my face because Iggy raised an eyebrow and studied me closely, otherwise known as Iggy's "you-are-a-terrible-liar-and-I-don't-believe-you-one-bit" face. I fidgeted under his intense gaze, and seeing my discomfort, Iggy didn't push it. Instead, he held out a hand for me to get up from the floor. I graciously took it and gave him a weak smile which he returned with his famous grin. We walked-well, Iggy walked while I limped-into the classroom just as the bell rang for class to begin.

I sat next to Iggy in the back left-hand corner of the room with one empty seat beside me that no one dared to take. I slid into my seat and took out my notebook and furiously started writing, blocking everybody else out.

**FANG POV**

As I walked through the classroom, I saw the dull of faces that just about every single high school student in America replicated. Blank faces and eyes incapable of learning anything. Slouching posture and lazy gazes roaming around the room.

"Good morning, class! Today we have a new student named…" the teacher, Ms. Flores, hinted for me to say my name.

"Nick Walker." I said-more of a grunt really-as the Ms. Flores nodded.

She continued on with telling the class how they were supposed to be nice to me and all that crap, but I zoned her out. Instead, I focused on where to sit. In every high school, there is always groups that sit together. It's just predictable. Just by looking at all these mindless buffoons, I know that the nerds and geeks sit up front, the jocks sit in the middle, and the sluts sit right behind the jocks. In each of these groups, there is always a leader. From my guess, I would say that the tall lanky kid with mouse hair in the center front is King of the Outcasts, the overly toned dude in the blue letterman jacket surrounded by red letterman jackets is Jock-zilla, and the red-head with the pink mini skirt and practically see through tank is the Slut Queen.

Like I said, predictable. It all added up in my head except for one thing. There was a girl in the very back corner. She definitely wasn't a slut based on her gray hoodie and stained jeans, not a geek because she wasn't paying attention to Ms. Flores in the least, and for sure not a jock 'cause if you compared her to a toothpick, she would be skinnier. But she wasn't a Nobody either. She had blonde hair with sun streaked highlights, high cheek bones, chocolate eyes, meaning she was H-O-T HOT. And there was something about her that just pulled me in, made me wants to just sit and stare into her eyes for an eternity. But the question was: Who was she?"

"Nick, would you please take a seat…" Ms. Flores scanned the room in search for an empty chair. "Right next to Maximum Ride." Ms. Flores's finger landed right on the empty seat next to the girl I had been admiring. I shuffled forward and sat in my seat just as Ms. Flores turned around and began to drone on about Physics.

"Psst."

I raised an eyebrow and looked to my left at the girl next to me.

"Let's get one thing straight here," she hissed as she leaned in so close that our noses were practically touching. I could smell her strawberry shampoo and concealer_** (AUTHOR: Is it possible to smell concealer? If it is, cool. If it isn't, fuck it)**_. "I don't like you. I don't like how you look, how you walk, how you move, or even how you breathe. Don't look, smell, see, hear, touch, or even breathe in the same air space as I am. Got that?" Her once chocolate eyes turned dark and stormy as her face morphed into a crude mask of secrets.

I nodded my head and she backed off ever so slightly. I returned my attention back to Ms. Flores but I couldn't pay any attention to her as I tried to shake the uneasy feeling I got from seeing my desk neighbor's eyes.

"Psst."

I tried to block out the girl and it worked for a while, but you can only ignore something for so long before you get something thrown at you. In this case, it was a crumpled up piece of paper.

I picked up the piece of paper and tossed it back to the girl. I ignored her chuckles and tried in vain to focus on the lesson. Again she tossed the paper at me.

"What do you want?" I hissed at her in annoyance and gave her my death glare.

Instead of doing what most people who get my death glare, which was to back off, she just smirked.

"I'm Maximum Ride, by the way, but everybody calls me Max." She stuck out her hand for me to shake, and after a moment's pause, I took it.

"Nick Walker, but call me Fang." Her grin was so wide, I thought that her face would split in two. The guy next to her leaned over her and stuck out his fist.

As I pounded it, he said, "Nice to meet you, Fang. I'm Iggy."

And that was how I met Max and Iggy.

_**So…yeah. I'm sorry that I haven't updated in like a week. But I have an excuse for it. I got this swanky disease called Laziness and it prevents me from doing anything productive or remotely related to work, including writing a chappy. In fact, it's a miracle that I'm writing this right now. So, anyway, READ, REVIEW, AND FOLLOW. DON'T FORGET TO ANSWER MY IDIOTIC QUESTIONS. **_

_**Watch the skies,**_

_**Doctor Bessy.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey guys! You guys are AMAZ-BALLZ!(And yes I said amaz-ballz, don't judge me) Besides being amazing, you know what else you guys are? AWESOME! You know what I am? A DIPSHIT. And you know why I'm a dipshit? BECAUSE I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN, LIKE, THREE WEEKS AND I AM SOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY! *releasing breath tiredly* Phew. That was a mouthful! ANYWAY, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and as thanks to all of y'all, I'm going to try to update again tomorrow! This chappy will also be really long just for you wonderful people! I LOVE YOU! ENJOY!**_

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own MR. I DO NOT own any of the characters. I DO NOT own a life. There I said it, happy now?**

**11 MONTHS 10 DAYS BEFORE MY DEATH**

**Max POV**

"Guys, I'm home!" Fang practically screamed as he entered his AMAZING house. Normally, I'm not impressed easily, but when I first stepped through his front door, my mouth dropped down to the floor.

Through the front door is an indoor water fountain (like the ones you see at the mall sometimes). There are 6 bedrooms, 2 guest rooms, an arcade, a TV room, an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor swimming pool, a golf course, and a kitchen the size of my house. All together, the Walker's own about 5 or 6 acres of land.

Anyway, back to the story. Fang left the door gaping open for me, Ari, and Iggy to follow. Even though I had been there about a kabillion times, the place still amazed me.

"Hey Max!" called Ella as she slid down a winding banister. Ella is Fang's 16-year-old little sister. Right after Ella is Nudge, Ella's twin, Gazzy, a 12-year-old pyromaniac (courtesy of Iggy), and the adorable one of the family, little 8-year-old Angel, whom Ari absolutely ADORE.

"OMG! MAX AND IGGY ARE HERE!" Nudge shrieked as she flew down the steps and gave us an eager smile. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GUYS ARE ACTUALLY HERE! IT'S LIKE WE HAVEN'T SEEN EACH OTHER IN FOREVER, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THIS, BUT FOREVER IS A REALLY LONG TIME! ANYWAY, WE SHOULD TOTALLY HANG OUT! BUT WHAT DO WE DO?! SHOULD WE PLAY A GAME, WATCH A MOVIE, EAT POPCORN, PLAY TABOO-" Nudge was going to say more but thankfully Iggy slapped a hand over her mouth. But hey, that's Nudge for you, always the talker.

"Nudge. Chill. The last time we hung out was YESTERDAY!" I ground out in exasperation.

"MLHASDFFAGFALHKWHSLAWEFKLDG," Nudge tried to speak through Iggy's hand, but as you may have guessed, she failed miserably.

"What?" Ella asked.

Nudge just rolled her eyes and slapped Iggy's hand away from her. "I SAID, 'but it seemed like forever to me'. God, can't you people understand English?!" At this we all rolled our eyes in unison.

_Plunk, plunk, plunk._

Pink and purple shoes plopped down the staircase. At the base was little Angel in a pink tutu and purple blouse. While everybody simply said "Hey" and went into the kitchen, Ari just stared at her like a dork stares at a brand-new top-of-the-line calculator (_**Author's Note: Ok, so I'm not calling anybody a geek or a dork or a nerd or saying that all geeks, dorks, and nerds love calculators more than they love people. I am not trying to be offensive in anyway. This was just the best simile that I could come up with. Don't judge me.) **_

"H-h-hi, Angel." Ari stuttered as his cheeks flamed red.

"Hey, Ari! Do ya wanna play with me?" Angel asked with her usual brilliant smile.

"Sure!" Angel skipped away and Ari practically floated behind her. I shook my head and went into the kitchen.

"What do you guys want to do?" I asked.

"Guys, we should TOTALLY watch [Rec]! I hear it's SKIN-CRAWLINGLY TERRIFYING!" Nudge exclaimed as she bounced up and down on her toes.

"But Nudge, you hate horror films." Fang said.

"I know! Isn't it GREAT!" Nudge began to bounce on her toes even more ecstatically. I honestly think that that girl is on crack.

"Ok, then," I said uncertainly. "I guess we can watch [Rec] if you really want to, Nudge."

"I'll get the popcorn." Ella skipped into the kitchen.

"I'll get the junk food." Iggy muttered as he followed Ella.

"I'll get the movie." Nudge sprinted upstairs to Fang's room.

"And I'll-" I started to walk into the living room-"do nothing." I finished as I plopped onto the extremely comfy sofa. Fang sat beside. As I sat there, I noticed how different the two of us were. I slouched. Fang sat perfectly straight on the edge of the chair. I blabbed my mouth until it got me into trouble (which it always does), Fang was the strong and silent type. And that's just what he was. Strong. And another thing I realized then was that no matter how messed up I would become, Fang would always be there for me. And now that I think about it, I think that that moment was when I started to fall in love with my best friend.

*****3 DAYS LATER*****

The beatings were getting worse. Although the change was small, it was still noticeable. Jeb had begun to beat Ari and me more viciously than before.

I stared at myself in the mirror. There were bruises all over the right side of my face. Most of them were small patches of darkened skin, but there was one in particular that stood out more than the rest. It trailed from my cheekbone all the way down past my collar bone and ended at my chest area.

_That's probably from when Jeb whacked me with a baseball bat._ I thought as I applied extra heavily concealer onto the bruise. My hands were shaking from the memory of the pain. Last night had been the worst beating I had ever endured in my life. It happened like this:

_Ari and I had just stepped through the door and onto the threshold of our house when Jeb came in behind us and slammed the door shut._

"_You were out late, weren't you, sweeties." His voice was slurred, so I knew that he had been drinking._

"_I-I-I'm sorry. It wo-won't happen again." I stuttered as he backed me and Ari into a corner. His figure towered over us. "I swear." I whispered faintly. _

_He looked at the two of us and gave us a smile but it didn't go up to his eyes. "I know it won't." His cold eyes burrowed into my soul as he took out a baseball bat from behind his back._

_And right when he looked the most victorious was when he was the most vulnerable._

_I took a step forward and kicked him in the balls. "RUN, ARI!" I screamed, and the little midget shot past me like a bullet._

"_YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Jeb screamed and he grabbed my waist when I tried to make a run for it. He spun me around and punched me so hard that I could see stars. I was hurled across the room by the force of his punch and I hid the wall with a THUD. In my daze, Jeb managed to tie me down. When I could finally make sense of what was going on, I was too late and Jeb had me secured. _

_Suddenly, Jeb was knocked back by a force. Ari stood over me in a protective manner. _

"_Leave Max alone." Ari was trying to fill his voice with steel, but there was still a slight quiver in it. __**(Author's Note: Ok, I already know that there are gonna be some haters out there asking in the comments why the heck didn't Ari go hide. Well, before anybody does say that, think about it. Your sister, YOUR PROTECTOR, the ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD besides you who knows about what happens at home is getting beaten senseless and tied down by your maniac of a father while you're only supposed to run away and hide! What's the justice in THAT?! I don't know about you, but I would want to fight back and protect my sis. Just saying.)**_

"_Ignorant boy! You should have run while you had the chance!" Jeb grabbed Ari by the hair and dragged him into living room where I had a perfect view of the beating that would follow._

_Jeb began to beat Ari as if he were the cause of all his problems. All the while I was wriggling, trying to get to Ari and help him._

"_NO! STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE! IT'S ME THAT YOU WANT! PLEASE, STOP!" I screamed at the man who was supposed to be my father when he was really nothing but a monster._

_After a couple of minutes, Jeb paused and looked at me with shining eyes of hate. At this point, Ari was nothing more than a bloodied, badly bruised pulp._

"_See, Max." Jeb said. "This is what happens when you try to save someone you care about. You always fail." And with that Jeb slammed Ari's head down on the coffee table. I sat there, shell-shocked because what Jeb had said actually was true. I always fail._

_Jeb strode over to me and I looked up at him blankly._

"_Good, you're not screaming anymore. I'd hate for you to have woken up the neighbors." He leaned down and patted my cheek. "You're a smart girl. You'll figure your way out of the ropes." And with that he tromped up the stairs._

I snapped out of my daze.

_Don't think about it, Max. If you don't think about it, it never happened._ But that's the thing. It _did_ happen. No matter how many times I told myself that it didn't, it did. And I would just have to deal with it.

"Max, you ok in there?" Nudge called outside of the bathroom stall.

"Er, yea. I was just thinking. I'll be out in a second!" I yelled back at her. I quickly applied as much concealer as natural and rushed out of the bathroom.

The gang had all come out from their respective shells and gathered at the Eastdale Mall-again, still live in Eastdale-and we were all just hanging out.

As I stepped out of the bathroom, I saw Fang. The sight of him takes my breath away. He isn't exactly skinny, but he isn't completely a body builder. I could easily see his toned, lean muscles inside his black skull shirt. Over that he had a black leather jacket and skinny jeans. But his dark, nearly black eyes made me melt. To others they seemed hard and cruel. To me, they seemed soft and sweet.

_Stop it, Max! He's your BEST FRIEND! He will NEVER like someone like you!_ My brain told me. (Is it just me or is my brain a bitch?)

**Fang POV**

Oh, Max.

As we were hanging out at the mall, I kept glancing at her. I couldn't help it. She was just so poised and strong and confident in everything she did. Yet there was something in her eyes. Something that screamed for help. And whatever was going on, I would protect her from getting hurt. No matter what. Because that's just what you do when you're in love.

_**So yeah that's that! So I really hope you guys liked it. PLZ R&R, READ AND REPLY! Cuz I would love to both get CONSTRUCTIVE criticism and to answer any questions that you might have about this story. Oh, and ViralWolf to answer your question, Max copes with it all because of Ari. Even though she is trying to be strong for him, in a way, she gets strength for him. Because without Ari, she would have long ago committed suicide. But somebody has to look after Ari, right? The real question is this: Is going to be Max, or somebody else? Well, on that cliffhanger, I'm gonna go! **_

_**Watch the skies,**_

_**Doctor Bessy.**_


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